Nonprofit prospect research beyond wealth screening requires more than locating wealthy people. It means finding funders with the capacity, mission alignment, and relationship connections that can lead to a credible fundraising conversation.

Shahar Brukner, Co-Founder, President, and CRO of Impala Digital, explains why traditional nonprofit wealth screening often leaves development teams with plenty of data—but no clear path to a donor.

Shahar organizes effective prospect research around three business priorities: capacity, alignment, and relationships. A prospective donor may possess enormous wealth, but that does not mean the person supports your cause, makes gifts at the level you need, or can be reached through someone they trust.

As Shahar explains, “If someone has a relationship to my organization through the board or through a donor…they automatically become a prospect.”

Impala has assembled public nonprofit and philanthropic data reaching back to 2014. Shahar says its platform includes information on approximately 16 million people and more than 213 million connections, serving over 10,000 nonprofits and nearly 2,000 foundations, grantmakers, and advisors.

The conversation also examines how AI may make genuine relationships even more important.  Shahar offers: “If it gets very easy to communicate with someone…then the level of connection needs to go up.”

This episode offers a sharper way to evaluate prospects, activate board networks, approach funders respectfully, and turn data into a disciplined relationship-building strategy.

Key Takeaways:

Evaluate prospects through capacity, mission alignment, and relationships—not estimated wealth alone.

Replace “Who do you know?” with specific, researched introduction requests for board members.

Prioritize connected prospects before chasing the largest foundations or wealthiest individuals.

Treat an initial gift as the beginning of a longer cultivation and stewardship process.

Record donor intelligence and relationship history accurately in the organization’s CRM.

Expect AI-generated application volume to push some funders toward invitation-based or relationship-led grantmaking.

 

#NonprofitFundraising #ProspectResearch #DonorResearch